I feel to rejoice, my brethren and

I feel to rejoice, my brethren and sisters, in the privilege of attending this conference, and the privilege of listening to the authorities of the Church. You know, I live a long way off, and feel that it is a great treat when we can come here to headquarters, and listen to the words of inspiration of the servants of the Lord. ¶

I rejoiced this morning in listening to President Smith's opening remarks. I could not help but think while he was speaking, especially about the lack on our part of paying sufficient fast offerings, and other things that we should feel in duty bound to do. I thought to myself, we are certainly somewhat careless and indifferent in regard to those matters. We come to these conferences, and listen to the servants of the Lord, and they touch our hearts : they come out in our midst, to the different stakes of Zion, and speak words of good cheer to us. and we feel encouraged, we feel that they teach the very things that we most need, when they urge us to live our religion; yet in a few days we seemingly forget, in a measure, the good things that we have heard. We really do not forget, but a spirit of indifference apparently takes hold of us. ¶

When the authorities undertake to bring about a reformation in certain lines, we realize that these things are good for us, yet we are slow to carry them out. Take for instance, the one day a month that we are asked to observe as "home evening," get our children together around us in our homes, and teach them the principles of the Gospel. I have discovered, in traveling around ¶

among the people in our stake, that they all think this is a splendid thing, but many are so careless that they let the day that is set apart go by without observing it. I believe it is the same in other places, so far as I have been able to learn. Most of us are slow to do those things that we know are for our good. I believe it is one of the greatest things that has been given to us recently, the carrying out of this idea of bringing the members of our families together and teaching the principles of the Gospel to them, in the home. Most of us leave the teaching of our children to the Mutuals, the Sunday Schools, and the Primaries. I venture to say that a large proportion of the people belonging to the Church are not carrying out this counsel, and are not yet bringing their families together on the home evening, and teaching them the principles of the Gospel. ¶

When the Big Horn stake was first organized, Apostle Woodruff told us to hold devotional exercises every night and morning in our families, and most of us did that for a long time. But we began to get careless in that matter, and I can say today that there is not as much of the spirit of unity, of love, good feeling and contentment that there was a few years back when we were carrying out this practice more fully. I believe that one of our greatest failings is that we are not more diligent in teaching our families the principles of the Gospel. Perhaps we do not realize what the result is. I can see it. I can see that some of our young people grow up without a knowledge of the Gospel, except what they gain in the organizations. There are some families that attend to these things strictly, but I am afraid the majority of us do not yet carry them out. We acknowledge it is the proper thing to do, but we are careless, and fail to put them into practice to the full extent. ¶

The law of fast offering we acknowledge is one of the finest laws in the Church, to donate of our substance for the support of the poor. There are very few in the Church that do not believe in this law ; but I find, in our stake, that not one-half of the people pay their fast offerings fully. According to the bulletins that come out to us every year, we are not below the average of the Church. I do not want you to think that I am running our stake down. We are above the average in a number of good things ; but with the aggregate membership of the Church, we are behind in these things, as President Smith said today : we are not paying all we should in fast offerings, and the Church has to furnish means from the tithing for the support of the poor. ¶

Brothers and sisters, I want to bear my testimony to you that we cannot keep the spirit of the Gospel in our hearts, we cannot have the proper love and respect for the authorities, unless we try to carry out their counsel in these little things. We cannot do it. We cannot be spiritually alive if we neglect our meetings, and neglect to partake of the sacrament. In fact, unless we keep the commandments of the Lord, we are in danger of getting luke-warm, and drifting away from the Church. I feel to plead with you, my brothers and sisters, to look to it, that your children are taught the principles of the Gospel, that they are not allowed to be entrapped by the snares of the adversary. Our children are precious gifts from ¶

God, and we should use every means in our power to bring them up aright, and not wait until we see them falling away into by and forbidden paths, but commence as soon as they can talk to teach them the principles of the Gospel. ¶

Let us commence with ourselves, let us commence right now and resolve within our hearts that we will live nearer to the Lord than we have done, that we will keep the commandments of the Lord, and that we will be exemplary as Latter-day Saints, that we will help with all our might to teach the people of the world that we have the truth, for we have it, and we know it. May the Lord help us to do this, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶